{Taste Test Tuesday} Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

I remember my mouth watering when I saw this recipe on Everyday Italian over a year ago. 

Looks delicious, right?  When I took my first bite I was surprised by how incredibly plain it was.  How could something marinated in balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, etc... be plain?  The recipe said to marinate the chicken for 2 hours (which I did), but that obviously wasn't long enough.  I wonder if they would have been better sitting in the marinade overnight.  I also expected the marinade to turn into a glaze after cooking it.  Again, the recipe said it would be thick to brush on the drumsticks, but it was quite thin.  I think it's safe to say I was pretty disappointed with the end result. 

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 5 sprigs of rosemary
• 5 garlic cloves, halved
• 10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

 

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic cloves in a large, re-sealable bag.  Shake and squeeze the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar.  Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal with as little air as possible.  Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

 

Place the drumsticks on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 30 to 35 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan.  Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria).  Reduce heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.  Reserve.

 

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken.  Place the chicken on a serving platter.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chopped parsley.

 

From the Food Network website.

 

I'm giving this recipe ☆☆

 

 

Green Tea Benefits

I used to have a major Diet Pepsi addiction.  I would drink it as soon as I got up in the morning and would continue to drink it throughout the afternoon.  I knew it was unhealthy, but I desperately needed my caffeine fix!  Coffee wasn't an option.  I love the smell of coffee, but can't stand the taste.  What else was there?  GREEN TEA.  I slowly incorporated green tea into my daily routine and eventually cut out Diet Pepsi.  I knew green tea was healthier, but I didn't know why.  Let me just say there is more to it than just caffeine.

Weight Loss.  It burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally.

Skin Protection.  It helps protect your skin from the sun's ultraviolet rays.

Tooth Decay.  It kills mouth bacteria and prevents bad breath.

Heart Disease. Studies show it can lower the risk of a heart attack by up to 11%. It also helps prevent the buildup of fatty material along the inner walls of arteries.

Diabetes.  It helps regulate blood sugar levels and can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Cholesterol.  It reduces "bad" cholesterol and improves "good" cholesterol.

Alzheimer's & Parkinson's.  Studies show it can prevent brain cells from dying and restore damaged brain cells.

Cancer.  It reduces the risk of certain cancers such as esophageal, ovarian, and bladder.

Bone Health.  It can increase bone density and lower your fracture risk.

How much should you drink?  Some say as little as two cups per day while others say five.  I drink two cups of Tazo Zen Green Tea a day; one hot cup in the morning and a cold glass early in the afternoon.  If you want the benefits, but don't don't like the taste, consider taking a green tea supplement instead.

STOP drinking soda and energy drinks and START drinking green tea!!!



 



Salmon w/ Creamy Dill Sauce

Salmon.  Either you love it or hate it.  I happen to love it, especially with this creamy sauce.  I always thought salmon was incredibly expensive until I bought it frozen at Trader Joes for $9.99/lb.  Not bad considering a serving of fish is about 3 oz.  If you don't like the taste of salmon or feel it's too pricey, substitute tilapia.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. salmon
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
• 1/2 small onion, sliced & separated into rings
• 4 lemon slices
• 2 tablespoons butter, cubed
• Cooking spray

Dill Sauce

• 1/3 cup light sour cream or nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup mayo with olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking dish with heavy-duty foil; lightly spray with cooking spray.  Place salmon skin side down.  Sprinkle with lemon-pepper and onion salt.  Top with onion and lemon slices.  Fold foil around salmon and seal tightly.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Open foil carefully, allowing steam to escape.  Broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 8-12 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. 

Combine sauce ingredients until smooth.  Serve with salmon.

Note: Some of the onion will be burnt after broiling which I toss and I set aside the lemon.

Adapted from the Taste of Home website.

This is my FAVORITE salmon recipe, what's yours?

Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Good nutrition starts with smart choices at the grocery store!  Cooking healthy meals can be challenging if you don't have the right ingredients in your kitchen.  Check out these simple tips to keep you on track while shopping.

Plan ahead.  To eat healthy, I've found it's ESSENTIAL to plan your meals for the week in advance.  It used to take me hours to plan an entire weeks' worth of meals until I came up with a base plan to narrow it down.  My base plan consists of at least:

1 fish recipe
1 crock pot recipe
1 clean eating recipe
1 chicken recipe
1 salad recipe
1 cheat meal

Since it's just me and my husband we almost always have leftovers so these six meals turn into ten or more meals.  From here all you have to do is fill in a couple meals and add your snacks.  DONE.

Create a shopping list.  It may take a few minutes, but it will prevent extra trips to the store for missing ingredients.  I highly suggest making a list that is grouped by: lean proteins and dairy, veggies and fruit, whole grains, and extras.  It will save time at the store so you're not going back and forth. 

LEAN PROTEINS & DAIRY	VEGGIES & FRUIT
EXTRAS	WHOLE GRAINS

Don't shop hungry.  People tend to make unhealthy impulse buys on empty stomachs, so make sure to eat a snack before you shop!

Choose organic.  I realize organic food can be expensive, but try to choose it when you can.  You get the same benefits with fewer pesticides. 

 

Shop the perimeter.  This is where produce, dairy, meat, and whole grains are located.  Try to avoid the center aisles where junk food lurks.

Produce: This is the section you should spend the most time in and the majority of your shopping cart should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies.

 

Whole Grains: Choose whole wheat bread and pasta.  You can start with whole wheat blends and slowly transition to 100% whole wheat.  I personally can't stand whole wheat pasta, so I buy multigrain pasta instead.  Other grain options include: quinoa, brown rice, and barley.

 

Lean Proteins: Fish, skinless poultry, and lean cuts of meat such as top sirloin and tenderloin are good choices.  Be sure to watch your portion sizes!  One chicken breast isn't necessarily one serving.

Dairy: Low-fat and nonfat are the best options.

 

Frozen Foods: Frozen fruits and veggies are better than canned.  Canned fruits and veggies tend to be packaged in salt, sugar, and preservatives for taste and longevity. 

 

Canned Foods: When buying canned foods look for low sodium options, low-fat soups, and tuna or salmon packed in WATER instead of oil.

 

Foods to Avoid: Try to avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients, artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.



 

{Taste Test Tuesday} Chicken Parmesan w/ Pasta

My parents gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas!

I have been leaning towards "Healthy Eating" rather than "Clean Eating" because most of the clean recipes I've tried I haven't liked.  They lacked flavor and had little to no spices in them.  I'm sorry people, but you NEED salt and pepper to flavor a dish!  I pretty much gave up trying to find new clean recipes until I got this book.  It's filled with pictures, menu plans, shopping lists, cooking terms, a conversion table, etc... and guess what?  They put salt and pepper in their dishes!  Woo hoo! 

My first taste test meal out of this book is Chicken Parmesan with Pasta.  It has cheese, pasta, and several spices...that's my kind of meal! 

It did not disappoint.  I couldn't believe it was HEALTHY and CLEAN.  It tasted pretty damn similar to my version of Chicken Parmesan with Pasta minus a ton of calories.  If you're on the fence about clean eating like I was, I highly suggest giving this meal a try.  I did make a couple modifications to it:  I used multigrain pasta instead of whole wheat and I used a red bell pepper instead of a green.

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

•  Olive oil cooking spray
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, divided
• 1 (28 oz.) jar crushed organic tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sun-dried tomato paste or organic tomato paste
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese (I didn't have reduced-fat on hand so I used regular Parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 (4 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 8 oz. cooked multigrain or whole wheat penne
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. 

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.  Add one teaspoon oregano and stir to coat. Cook 30 seconds, until oregano is fragrant.  Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine panko bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining teaspoon of oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper.  Mix to combine.  Taste for seasonings and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.  Brush both sides of each chicken breast with mustard.  Transfer each breast to panko mixture and turn to coat both sides.  Arrange chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Coat surface of chicken with cooking spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Top each chicken breast with 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella or Italian cheese.  Return chicken to oven and bake 10 minutes more, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

5. Arrange pasta on a serving plate and top with remaining tomato sauce and a little grated Parmesan cheese.  Serve chicken with pasta on the side, garnishing both with basil.  I also served steamed broccoli on the side.

Tip:  Make your Chicken Parm more golden in color by toasting the panko crumbs in a skillet over medium heat before making the dish.

Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating book

This recipe gets ☆☆☆☆  Share your favorite Clean Eating recipe with me!

 



Healthy Snack Ideas

I've been eating the same three or four snacks every day for the past several months and need to change it up!  I have several books with healthy snack ideas and compiled a list of the best!

• Shakeology
• Low-fat cottage cheese with berries
• Banana or apple with peanut butter
• Plain popcorn topped with a pinch of salt
• Tuna stuffed inside a multigrain pita
• Sliced veggies with hummus
• Multigrain bagel with low-fat cream cheese
• Unsalted almonds, cashews, etc...
• Baked sweet potato topped with nonfat Greek yogurt and chives
• Whole wheat pita with hummus, smoked salmon, and dill
• Sliced kiwi with nonfat strawberry yogurt for dipping
• Fruit skewers
• Strawberries topped with light cream cheese
• Celery topped with peanut butter and raisins
• Whole wheat toast topped with turkey and reduced-fat cheese
• Hardboiled egg mashed and scooped onto a romaine lettuce leaf
• Guacamole with sliced red peppers
• Whole grain English muffin with strawberry preserves
• Protein bar
• Reduced-fat string cheese

Fruit Skewers

What's your favorite snack?

Smothered Chicken

I was digging through old recipes and found this hidden gem.  It's simple to make and the lemon marinade gives the chicken a nice tang.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
• ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Cooking spray

Directions

 

1.  In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Place chicken and marinade in a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours.

 

2. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with oregano, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.  Cook chicken 8-10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink in the middle.

 

3. In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Cook bell pepper and onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender.  Stir in mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

4. Sprinkle cheese and vegetables over chicken; remove from heat.  Cover and let stand until cheese is melted.

 

Serve with brown and wild rice.